Tales of the Disneyverse
by RetroWriter2012
Summary: In this "mini series" that takes place between World of Disney and The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2, the Disneyverse experiences strange cross-dimensional rifts that cause Disney characters to cross over into each other's worlds. The rifts become a massive danger, encouraging Mickey Mouse and two mismatched sorceresses to save the Disney worlds. Reviews are welcomed!
1. Crossing the Rift

**Crossing the Rift**

_You could've been seen by one of those barbarians…by one of those…__humans__!_

_Daddy, they're not barbarians!_

_They're dangerous! Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish-eater's hook?_

_I'm sixteen years old – I'm not a child!_

_Don't you take that tone of voice with __me__, young lady! As long as you live under my ocean, you will obey by my rules!_

_But if you would just listen…_

_NOT another word! And am I never, NEVER to hear of you going to the surface again, is that clear?_

Ariel tearfully swam as fast as she could away from the palace. The argument between her and her father felt worse than past others, and she couldn't figure out why. It was like he could not trust her with knowledge of a world – albeit different from theirs – that was capable of greater things that the "Mer-World" could benefit from. Yet her father felt that it was right to shield their world from the one outside it, despite Ariel's beliefs that it was harmless and free from the "barbarians" that he believed the humans were.

The little mermaid was so upset that she almost didn't hear her best friend Flounder swim up behind her. "Ariel! Wait for me!" His voice was just as soothing as his presence to Ariel; she needed a friend to be with her and not someone associated with her father – like Sebastian. As soon as Flounder managed to keep up with her, he slowed down and caught his breath. "Where…Where are you…going…Ariel?"

"I'm going to the grotto to think for a while, Flounder."

"Well…can I come with you?"

Ariel looked to him and smiled. "Of course you can. You're my best friend. I'll _always_ want you with me." She gave him a big hug before continuing to swim through the outskirts of Atlantica.

The two friends swam for minutes across the seabed but they soon realized that the distance to the grotto had become abnormally lengthy. The usual route also didn't look the same to either of them. Something had changed in the atmosphere and Ariel and Flounder stopped long enough to regain their bearings and realize where they were. "Are we lost?" Flounder asked her, even though he already knew the answer to that question. Ariel swam through that way for years; for her to get lost one day sounded ridiculous to Flounder.

"No, we're not." Ariel answered whilst looking around them at the changed area. "But none of this seems familiar. It's like…"

"First day of school! First day of school!"

The voice sounded small and very young, and it came very close from where Ariel and Flounder were floating. Looking down, they spotted a tiny, funny-looking fish in a sea anemone with a slightly bigger fish that looked just as funny as him. The smaller fish bounced on the bigger one that had been asleep and cheerily shouted "First day of school" on repeat until the bigger fish was finally awake.

Upon seeing the two odd-looking fish in the sea anemone, Flounder grew a little cautious. "What…What _are_ they?"

Ariel didn't seem quite as cautious, even smiling from the way the two fish interacted with each other like a father and a son, which she soon discovered that they were in her observation of them. "I don't know. But the little one looks cute."

"Cute?" Flounder found her view of the new species of fish peculiar. "They look like…freaks. Look at the fin on the little one – it's all short and flappy."

Ariel sighed disappointingly over Flounder's comments. "Are _you_ going to start judging new others before knowing them, too? Gosh, Flounder. You're beginning to sound just like my father."

"And what is wrong with _that_?"

The surprised Ariel and Flounder looked directly behind them to see a familiar crab swimming their way. "Sebastian!"

"What are you doin' here?" Flounder asked.

"I'm here on behalf of King Triton." Sebastian notified. "His Majesty wishes for me to keep an eye on you, Ariel. Constant supervision is what your father has suggested for you."

Ariel shook her head in disgust. "He _really_ doesn't trust me, does he? Well, if it pleases you or my father, I just happened to have discovered another new world this very moment – one that _isn't_ human."

She pointed to the sea anemone below for Sebastian to see, and the crab got a glimpse of the two strange fish swimming there. "Hmm…interesting," he casually said.

Sebastian's reaction to the strange fish again surprised Flounder. "Am I the _only_ one who finds the new fish weird?"

"As long as dey isn't human, mon, I could care less." Sebastian declared.

"Well, in that case, I'm going to talk to them." Ariel said before swimming down closer to the ocean floor and towards the sea anemone. She heard Flounder try to call her back, but when she was close enough to the sea anemone to get a clearer glimpse at the two new fish, it was too late to turn back. "Hi," she began to say. "My name is Ariel. What is…?"

Before the mermaid could have finished, the "father fish" screamed in terror upon seeing her and swam out of the sea anemone with his son. "Swim away, Nemo! Swim away!"

Watching the father and son fish swim rapidly away from her, Ariel was surprised to see them so afraid of her. Sebastian and Flounder swam in beside her and she looked to them, having come to a curious conclusion for Flounder particularly: "I think _they_ are just as afraid of me as you are of _them_, Flounder."

"Where did they come from?" Flounder asked.

"I think a better question to ask, Flounder, is how did _we_ come _in_?" She saw the confusion on her best friend's puffy yellow face and provided clarification. "I think we've stumbled upon a new world – and I _don't_ think it's part of ours."

Beginning to understand her, Flounder questioned, "Then…what happened to _our_ world?"


	2. It All Started with a Mouse

**It All Started with a Mouse and Two Sorceresses **  
**(The Realm of Fantasia)**

"Order! We shall have order in this room!"

Merlin banged his gavel like a courtroom judge on the long, squared wooden table, much to the annoyance of Yen Sid, who did not think the action was necessary. There were only six master sorcerers present within the conference room – Merlin, Scrooge McDuck, Pete, Anne-Marie, Joanie, and himself. Also present within the room was Mickey, who attended their conference more as a servant, providing water and food for the six master sorcerers.

As the mouse served each one, he got a glimpse of the different characteristics each sorcerer possessed. There was the obvious earnestness of Yen Sid and the maternal aura of Joanie, who went by the name of "Joan" in reflection of her full elderly appearance. She looked nearly as old as Yen Sid and Merlin; of course, Mickey knew that it was impossible for her to be _that_ old, since the two men were well over a century old. Mickey served McDuck next and found the old duck to quite arrogant, pompously clearing his throat upon seeing Mickey. He then went to Merlin, who seemed grateful of Mickey's services yet was too absent-minded to give a "thank you." Anne-Marie appeared rather cold; it was difficult for Mickey to tell what type of sorceress _she_ was.

Finally, there was Pete, who had been eyeing Mickey ever since arriving to Yen Sid's castle. It didn't take much observation for Mickey to see what type of a sorcerer Pete was as he let it be known for the apprentice with his harsh demands. "Heya, _mouse_! Get me sum more water! Pronto!" He tossed his cup, which was already half full, and caused some of the liquid to splash onto Mickey's face and robes.

Pete's foul treatment of Mickey angered Joan and even Yen Sid. "That's enough, Pete." Joan declared. The white glow of her eyes, which echoed her anger, was enough to make the overweight master sorcerer cease of his mistreatments.

"'Enough' is right." McDuck said. "We're wastin' time here talkin' about what to do with the rifts that are spreadin' through the worlds. Already there are six and _more_ are comin'!"

"What worlds have been affected so far?" Anne-Marie queried. Mickey noticed how she carried an English accent, making her one of the three master sorcerers at the table to have one, next to Yen Sid and Merlin.

"The _Little Mermaid_ and _Finding Nemo_ realms had merged this morning. Others that followed after were _Peter Pan_ and _Up_, _Cars_ and _The Lion King_, _Lady and the Tramp_ and _101 Dalmatians_, _Pinocchio_ and _Alice in Wonderland_, and _Brave_ and _The Sword in the Stone_." Joan notified.

"And may I add that the presence Dunbroch clan in England isn't doing us any favors." Merlin criticized.

"So let's cut to dah chase," said an impatient Pete, "how we gonna take care of this here mess?"

"Do we even know how it happened?" Anne-Marie asked.

The conference room fell silent as Joan and Yen Sid eyed each other as if to determine which of the two of them would answer Anne-Marie. It was finally Joan who made the move in answering. "The cause is still under investigation by Yen Sid and a few other master sorcerers."

"Yen Sid and a few chumps?" Pete uttered in confusion. "Whadda 'bout _you_?"

"What about me?" Joan retorted.

McDuck stepped in, supporting Pete's complaint. "He's got a point, lass. You're the Guardian. It is _your_ duty to watch and protect all worlds. It's what ya promise us years ago, isn't it?"

Joan felt as if she had been backed into a corner with McDuck and Pete making her the center of attention all of the sudden. She stumbled on providing them with a reasonable explanation for her "lack of activity" on the rift situation. It was only Yen Sid who saved her the trouble of having to explain herself when he stood up from his chair and firmly told McDuck and Pete, "She _is_ the Guardian and Protector of the Disneyverse. For that reason, neither of you will question her actions on this matter. Is that understood?"

The room felt like it had shook to Mickey when Yen Sid spoke in his harsh tone. He couldn't remember the last time when he saw his master so furious, especially when it was towards fellow master sorcerers. McDuck and Pete both nodded in different ways – McDuck was more disapproving in his way whilst there was much intimidation behind Pete's. As Yen Sid sat back down, Anne-Marie posed another question to him and Joan, "Until we _do_ find out the cause of the rifts, who we send to close them? Undoubtedly, the more that come, the more our universe falls into imminent danger."

Joan smiled. "Now _that_ is one thing I've personally handled myself. We're sending three sorcerers of three separate classes into the merging worlds – a master sorcerer, a sorcerer, and an apprentice."

Pete groaned over one part of the idea. "Ya gotta be kiddin' sendin' an apprentice out dere!"

"Sending an apprentice helps him gain the experience of using magic to defuse certain situations." Joan clarified.

"_Him_?" Anne-Marie pointed out the precision in the old woman's words. "You mean you've already chosen an apprentice for this mission?"

Joan's smile grew. "I've chosen all three, Anne-Marie. You'll be going out there with Mickey."

There was a loud crash and all eyes looked to Mickey, who had dropped the tray of food and water in reaction to hearing Joan. "M-Me? Y-You're trustin' _me_ with magic?"

Pete furiously slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "I objectate to this molockery!"

"When you learn to pronounce 'malarkey' right, your objection will be noted." Joan mockingly remarked. "In the meantime, your objection is overruled. Now shut up and _sit down_!" Pete did as she said, albeit still furious of the decision. Joan then calmly addressed Mickey's concerns: "We do trust you with magic, Mickey. But you needn't worry about losing control. That is why you'll have experienced sorceresses with you."

Anne-Marie looked back and forth between Joan and Mickey, nodding in agreement. "Very well. I'll go with the apprentice. But who is the sorcerer you intend on accompanying the two of us?"

Joan looked to the doorway of the conference room and snapped the fingers of her left hand. Everyone soon heard heavy, rapid footsteps near the entrance, sounding closer and closer each second. Finally, a tall, smoky, and young female figure rushed inside and bowed to the master sorcerers. "Masters." She then looked to Mickey with a large smile, waving and blowing a kiss to him. "Hi, Mickey!"

The emergence of the sorceress surprised Mickey more than the master sorcerers – with the notable exception of Yen Sid and Joan, who both anticipated her arrival. Mickey noticed how tattered and scorched her red robe and the clothing she wore beneath – a white tunic and sparkling light blue tights – were, and even her face was covered with soot, blackening her peach skin, as well as her long blond hair. In response to her lovey-dovey greeting to him, Mickey hesitantly waved and smiled.

"I'd like everyone to meet Katie." Joan introduced the woman to her fellow masters.

"We know who she is." McDuck grumbled. "She is the outcast!"

Katie looked down in sadness upon hearing McDuck address her by her unfortunate designation. Even Pete's harsh words brought her confidence down more: "What dah heck are you thinkin' bringin' _her_ back! We wanna _save_ the world, not put it in bigger trouble!"

"Even I have to admit this is an unwise choice, with all due respect." Merlin said.

As the complaints began to pile over each other, Joan quickly eased their concerns. "I understand the reputation Katie has in this world. Yen Sid has explained to me about her past. That's why I want her involved in this mission – to redeem herself in your eyes. If anyone knows about making mistakes that had catastrophic consequences, it's me. I've had to do _much_ to prove myself worthy again for my past mistake, especially in the eyes of Yen Sid. We should give Katie that same opportunity."

"I-If it helps my case, I faced down a dragon on White Mountain just a while ago!" Katie excitedly stated.

Anne-Marie shook her head critically. "The dragon of White Mountain is a _friend_ of our ministry!"

Mickey watched as Katie's claim garnered her just as much negative reactions from the master sorcerers as before. They once again voiced complaints to Joan and Yen Sid while Katie stood by sheepishly watching as her position was again debated among her superiors. Mickey felt sorry for her. He had no idea what it was she had done in the past to gain such a bad reputation, but he couldn't imagine someone so beautiful (even covered in soot) to be so dangerous. Ultimately, Katie would be allowed to journey with him and Anne-Marie into the merging worlds; for that, the apprentice looked forward to the oncoming mission.


	3. The Circle of Life is a Highway

**The Circle of Life is a Highway  
(The Crossed Realms of **_**Cars**_** and **_**The Lion King**_**)**

"Mater, for the last time, it wasn't the 'Ghost Light' that we saw flash in the sky." McQueen told his tow-truck best friend as they traversed over the outskirts of Radiator Springs together.

"But we all saw it! You saw it, I saw it, Sally saw it, Doc saw it…"

"O.K., Mater."

"…Ramone saw it, Flo saw it, Luigi saw it…"

"Alright, Mater. I get it."

"…Sarge saw it, Sheriff saw it, Fillmore saw it…"

"MATER!"

McQueen's loud exclamation echoed through the heavens and scared a flock of birds that were perched upon the tall grass of the savanna close near the two talking vehicles. As soon as they saw the birds take flight into the skies, McQueen and Mater jumped in surprise and confusion, having never seen such unusual aerial creatures before.

"What the heck are _those_?" McQueen questioned. "Are they…birds?"

Mater squinted as the birds flew across the sunny, cloudless skies. "Shoot. Ain't any birds I ever saw. Maybe they're one of them 'mute ants' Sarge always keeps callin' Fillmore."

"I don't know, Mater," said a heavily nervous McQueen. "M-Maybe we should just go back to the town and warn everyone about…" He stopped as soon as he heard strange noises coming further across the savanna. "Now what?"

McQueen and Mater drove in the direction of the sounds, crossing the tall grass and coming upon a section of the savanna where elephants, zebras, and various other wild animals were crossing in perfect form a distance from the two cars. Of course, to Mater and McQueen, these creatures were entirely alien to them, and their very presence baffled and even horrified them. As soon as they witnessed the large group of animals crossing the area, the two vehicles screamed in terror, turning around and speeding back in the direction they came in.

* * *

From the moment Anne-Marie, Katie, and Mickey arrived in the first two worlds amalgamated from the rift, there was nothing but silence among the three of them. Katie and Mickey both felt a little awkward just walking across the savanna and looking for the precise location of the rift. Anne-Marie, on the other hand, was strictly concentrated on her goal, shutting out everything around from the intense African heat – courtesy of the _Lion King_ side of the crossed realms – to the sounds of wild animals in the distance.

There were, however, two particular noises that broke Anne-Marie's concentration – engines roaring and men screaming. She, Katie, and Mickey looked to the distance and took notice of dirt clouds billowing in the air. Not before long did they see racecar Lightning McQueen and tow-truck Mater rushing across the savanna with looks of pure horror upon their animated faces. Watching the two _Cars_ characters drive away from whatever it was that horrified them, Mickey scratched his head and said, "Wonder what spooked 'em."

"Doesn't matter." Anne-Marie said in a monotone voice. "Once the rift is closed here, neither of them will remember what they saw."

Although Katie felt bad for whatever McQueen and Mater were going through in the crossed realm, their sudden emergence in the savanna helped break the silence amongst her, Mickey, and Anne-Marie. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she said, "So…Anne-Marie…"

"'Mistress' will do just fine." Anne-Marie coldly remarked.

Katie's body grew tense on her unyielding request. "R-Right…Mistress Anne-Marie…"

"No. Just 'Mistress.'" She clarified, not once looking to Katie upon correcting her. "You must _earn_ addressing the first name of your superiors. Isn't that right, Mickey?"

Mickey hadn't expected to be brought into the conversation that Katie started. He admired her bravery for talking directly to Anne-Marie, who was a very imposing woman to him – more so than Yen Sid. For that reason, he answered her almost instantly: "Y-Yes, Mistress. It's absolutely right." He glanced over to Katie, who seemed a little unnerved – possibly feeling that she might have challenged Anne-Marie by addressing her through first name.

But Katie was bold enough to continue the conversation, despite the slight tension between her and the superior sorceress. "Mistress…I'm only curious about your life _before_ you became a sorceress. Is it true you come from the same world as the Guardian?"

Anne-Marie stopped dead in her tracks, prompting Katie and Mickey to do the same. Even with her back facing them, Mickey could determine how frustrated Anne-Marie was from Katie's question. _Uh-oh_, the mouse thought as he saw the sorceress turn around for the first time since they arrived and look at Katie straight in the eyes. She gave her a stare that was intense enough to send chills down her spine – it certainly sent one down Mickey's, despite not being at the receiving end of it.

"My life is _here_ in the Disneyverse." Anne-Marie declared. "Here and nowhere else. Is that understood?"

Katie could only acknowledge with a nod. She was so petrified from Anne-Marie's stare that it left her speechless.

The mistress sorceress then looked skyward and, without pause, told Katie and Mickey, "We're here."

Mickey and Katie looked up as well, but they only saw the clear blue sky above them. "I don't _see_ a rift."

"Oh, it's there." Anne-Marie confirmed. "It's just hiding."

She reached high up and made a gesture that was as if she were pulling apart large, heavy doors, her face showing much strain while doing so. At first, Mickey and Katie were confused on what she was doing, but they soon saw what appeared to be some type of invisible shield breaking apart and exposing the part of the sky that they were actually standing beneath. It was grayed and distorted with an enormous shimmering "crack" that would have looked as beautiful as the northern lights had it not meant the end of the two combined Disneyverse realms there.

"Gosh!" Mickey exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow!" Katie also shouted.

"Yes. It _is_ impressive…but also deadly." Anne-Marie said before looking away from the tear and towards her companions. "Now then, we mustn't waste time gawking at it. The longer it stays up there, the harder it will be to close it."

"How _do_ we close it?" Katie inquired.

"Follow my lead." Anne-Marie instructed. "Lift your arms up high…Open your palms…Look to the rift…_Slowly_ close your palms into a fist while imagining the rift closing."

It sounded simple enough to Katie and Mickey, even after Anne-Marie demonstrated it for them. They both did as the mistress sorceress instructed and concentrated hard on the rift, using their shared magic to close the crack in the sky. It sealed shut just as slowly as Katie and Mickey closed up their fists. The grayness retreated into the tear as it sealed, and the blue returned to the sky, bringing it completely back to normal.

Mickey smiled over their success. "We did it!"

Katie giggled. "That was awesome!"

Anne-Marie scoffed, specifically at Katie. "Soak in that pride while it lasts, because it's only going to get _a lot_ harder from here." Her words negatively impacted Katie and Mickey, whose smiles and giggles ceased instantly.


	4. A Voice from the Future

**A Voice from the Future  
(The Realm of Fantasia)**

The _Fantasia_ realm was practically in the eye of the hurricane from what Joan could see through the window of Yen Sid's workshop. The skies had grayed in some areas and blackened in others, turning it to endless night. There were tremors at the end of every half hour, growing in intensity. Mountains had turned into volcanoes in lands far outside the city, forcing dozens of villagers to flee and take refuge in the sorcerers' medieval metropolis. She was thankful that the city was large enough to keep so many desperate families safe from the splintering world beyond its boundaries. Unfortunately, it was just a matter of time before the rift completely tore open the _Fantasia_ realm, and the home world of Yen Sid, Mickey, and all of the other sorcerers that inhabited it would be gone forever.

Upon watching the world fall apart in the distance, Joan felt a shooting pain in her chest that made her bend forward. As the pain settled in her chest, another tremor arrived – much earlier than expected – and another volcano erupted from a mountain not too close from the city. A bolt of blood red lightning shot across the sky and struck a once-luscious tree that stood tall and proud for ages in the city, setting it ablaze within seconds. The tree was located in the "park" area where a few of the villagers' children played, believing they were safe from the outside dangers. The incident proved that not even the city would be safe for very long.

The parents of the children took them out of the park immediately, while a group of sorcerers entered the scene, acting as firemen and dosing the flames that consumed the tree with water they conjured out of thin air. Joan's chest pain subsided, but her fright over what happened in the park remained, intensifying her fears over the whole situation. _Those poor children…nearly died…all because of __me_, she thought while watching the parents carry their children back inside the basilica next door to Yen Sid's castle.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!"

Joan's head impulsively went to the workshop entrance. There stood Pete, who had witnessed the paralleling events of her chest pain and the chaos outside. Apparently, he was smart enough to put two and two together from the way he bellowed with laughter – his enormous gut jiggling in place of it. "_Yer _causin' all the kablooey goin' on out dere! Yer dyin'!"

Joan frowned, furious at herself for allowing to be caught by Pete of all people. "Yes…I am," she sadly admitted. "And if you tell _anyone_ about it, I will…"

"You'll _what_?" Pete snapped. "The way I sees it, yer on borrowed time and our universe is sufferin' 'cause of it! Seems like dah _only_ 'sensible' thing to do is put yer old keister out of its misery!"

Joan's body grew tense – not from the pain that it was wracked with just a moment ago, but from the idea that Pete was proposing. She glared at him with glowing eyes as he advanced upon her, popping his knuckles. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, I dares."

Joan backed away from him, until she found herself at a corner. Pete's large and wide body looming upon her made it virtually impossible for escape from whatever wrath he intended on unleashing over her. She desperately wanted to use her magic to teleport herself past him, but she knew her body – in its current state – would not have allowed her to do that. She knew there was a naught chance of succeeding, but she attempted to appeal to the crazed sorcerer. "Pete, listen. This _isn't_ the way. Give Anne-Marie, Katie, and Mickey a little more time. They'll save the Disneyverse. I promise you that!"

"Nothin' doin', ya old hag!" Pete viciously exclaimed. "I'm gonna make sure this never happens _again_!"

Pete raised his large, white-gloved hands high above his head while they glowed to signify whatever deadly spell he intended to cast upon the helpless Joan. However, before any spell could have been unleashed by Pete, the foul, overweight sorcerer was suddenly engulfed in a flash of golden light that briefly illuminated Yen Sid's workshop. His large, wide form then shrunk down and Joan watched as it transformed into something that was almost the size of a crumb. When the light that had engulfed his body dispersed, Pete was revealed to have been transformed into a mouse – not like Mickey, but an _actual_ mouse – with a tiny version of his face on his new body. Still having control of his mouth, he screamed out something that was only heard as squeaks in the ears of Joan while scurrying into a nearby mouse hole, which seemed to have come at quite a convenient time for him.

Shutting her eyes (which had returned to normal) and breathing a sigh of relief, Joan thanked her rescuer, whose identity she had already recognized. "Yen Sid…I truly and respectfully owe you what's left of my life."

"Keep it."

Joan's eyes immediately snapped open when she discovered that it _wasn't_ Yen Sid that replied. Standing across the room was a young woman – someone Joan had never seen in the _Fantasia_ realm before – that wore a robe similar to hers, only it was black instead of red; beneath it, she wore a pair of blue jeans, black knee-high boots, and a navy blue top – all of which hugged her slender, toned figure. But the most striking apparel that Joan noticed on this young woman was the sorcerer hat on her head – the same hat that was once owned by Yen Sid – the same hat that _she_ had on _her_ head at that very moment.

Joan asked the obvious question upon seeing the woman: "Who…Who are _you_?"

The young woman chuckled. Joan noticed how strikingly gorgeous she was with raven hair that had a bob cut style, her bangs hanging from the sides of her head, and lightly tanned skin that brought out her eyes, which were just as blue as Joan's. "My name's Jacqueline," she answered, "but you know me by another name…as another person."

Joan was understandably confused from her odd response, which sounded close to a riddle. "I'm sorry, but…I…"

"I know it's gonna be hard for you to do, but use your sorcery to _really_ look at me and see who I _really_ am."

It _was_ a difficult task. Each time Joan used her magic, it had taken a toll on her frail, elderly body, driving her closer to death than she cared to admit. But she braved the agony and did as Jacqueline requested to understand what was going on. Digging deep, she used what limited magic she had in her and gazed at the young woman with glowing eyes. Through hazy black-and-white "magic vision," Joan saw Jacqueline's form contort and shift. Alterations in hair, skin, and height were induced until Joan no longer saw Jacqueline standing there but a young man from her life outside the Disneyverse – someone who she was all too familiar with.

Her glowing eyes widened in surprise as she weakly uttered the name of Jacqueline's "secret" identity: "S…Sean?" And then, between the shock of the discovery and her declining health, her eyes ceased their glow and closed just as she collapsed to the floor.

Jacqueline rushed to Joan's aid, gently raising her upper body to let it rest upon her lap while she tearfully cradled her. "I'm so sorry, Mama," she whispered to the unconscious Joan. "I had to let you see."

Another tremor – one fiercer than the last – shook the workshop. Jacqueline looked to the window and saw an enormous shimmering "crack" developing in the sky. The end of the _Fantasia _realm was near.


	5. Uncharted Waters

**Uncharted Waters  
(The Crossed Realms of **_**Finding Nemo**_** and **_**The Little Mermaid**_**)**

"Uh, Dad? I think we swam far enough." Nemo felt like he needed to speak up to his father as he saw how the two of them had swam into a section of the sea that was just an endless blue. They were the only two fish swimming there from what Nemo could see, and he felt a bit unsettled from how lost they appeared to be. When he realized that his father was not listening to him, he yelled, "DAD!"

Marlin finally stopped, prompting Nemo to stop as well. "What is it, Nemo? I'm trying to save us from that giant, weird fish-human thing that came after us!"

"But I think we swam too far away from home." Nemo indicated. "I don't remember this part of the ocean. I think we're lost."

"Lost? No! No, no, no! We can't be lost! We swam right in the direction of the…" Marlin looked around and failed to recognize their current location himself. "We're…We're lost! I can't believe we're lost! Where are we? We're trapped forever in uncharted waters!"

Nemo saw how even more worrisome his father had become and knew that he had to bring him back to focus. Marlin _was_ the adult after all, but he was acting more like the child in their predicament. "Dad! It's gonna be O.K. We'll find our way back home."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Marlin asked. "We've never been in this area before! There's nothing here! No way of putting us back in the right direction!"

Nemo saw there was no use in putting his father at ease when he was that stressed out. He let him continue moping over their woes while he turned away and stared off in the distance. He knew all he would find was just blue as far as he could see, but anything was better than listening to his dad mope. After a while, Nemo began to make out a faint shimmer in the distance – a golden light sparkling in the sea of blue. Immediately, he swam towards the shimmer without first notifying his father of his actions.

As soon as Marlin saw what Nemo was up to, he panicked even more, chasing after his only son. "NEMO! What do you think you're doing? We have to stay close!"

"I see something, Dad." Nemo alerted. "Just follow me. I know what I'm doing."

"Get back here, Nemo! Nemo!"

* * *

With every section of the new waters they swam through, Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder passed by various types of sea creatures that were instantly scared off once they saw Ariel. Flounder felt uncomfortable from the way that the creatures screamed and swam away. "Geez. You think these guys never saw a mermaid before."

"I don't think they _have_, Flounder." Ariel said, sounding amused and concerned all at once. "I don't think _any_ mermaids have ever been through these waters before."

Sebastian scoffed. "All dah better reason for us to return home. Let's not force ourselves to be somewheres we're not wanted."

"Maybe Sebastian's right, Ariel." Flounder said.

Ariel sighed discouragingly. "I guess so. I just wish I could find those two little clownfish and apologize for scaring them."

"It's for dah best to leave it be, Ariel." Sebastian suggested. "No need makin' trouble where trouble is…"

Failing to see it coming beforehand, Sebastian suddenly found himself smacking face-first into a slender regal tang surgeonfish. The impact knocked Sebastian into a huge rock below, momentarily dazing him. Ariel and Flounder quickly went to the red crustacean's aid. "Sebastian, are you alright?" Ariel asked.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry, sir! I didn't see you!" The surgeonfish exclaimed, swimming towards them to check on Sebastian. However, before she could get near him, she was quickly put off by the sight of Ariel. "Whoa! You are, like, the _strangest_ fish I have _ever_ seen! Did you accidentally swim near some toxic waste to get like that?"

Flounder frowned at the fish. "Near some _what_?"

"No. I'm a mermaid." Ariel clarified with a smile.

"A mermaid!" The surgeonfish joyfully yelled. "I've always wanted to see a mermaid!" She then became strangely baffled and asked, "What's a mermaid?" A groan from Sebastian seemed to have taken her by surprise as she saw him peeling himself off the rock he fell onto. "Wow. What happened to _that_ guy?"

Flounder and Ariel shared an odd glance.

"You bumped into him…remember?" Flounder said. "It only happened a few seconds ago."

The surgeonfish appeared genuinely shocked. "Oh, no! Did I? Oh, I'm so sorry. Is he alright?" She then looked to Ariel and was again put off from her appearance. "Whoa! You are, like, the _strangest_ fish I have_ ever_ seen! Did you accidentally swim near some toxic waste to get like that?"

Successfully pulling himself off the rock and recovering from the trauma to his head, Sebastian realized the oddity of the exchange between them and the surgeonfish. "It could be dah pain to mah head, but is dis girl repeatin' herself?"

"Sounds like it." Flounder said. "Maybe it's _her_ head that got most of the damage."

Hearing their comments, the surgeonfish appeared troubled. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. I suffer from short-term memory loss. I forget things almost instantly. It runs in my family…well…I mean…at least I think it does. Hmm…where are they?" She paused for a moment to think on the subject, but – after a short while – her demeanor changed, especially when she looked to Ariel and was once more put off by her appearance. "Whoa! You are, like, the _strangest_ fish I have_ ever_ seen! Did you accidentally swim near some toxic waste to get like that?"

Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder merely floated in silence while staring oddly at the surgeonfish.

"Dis girl is _strange_, mon." Sebastian whispered particularly to Flounder.

Ariel, trying to get past the complexity of the surgeonfish's memory loss, made an attempt to get to know her in order to ground her memory. "Do you have a name?"

"Oh, yeah! I do! I'm Dory!"

"Nice to meet you, Dory. I'm Ariel, and this is Sebastian and Flounder."

Sebastian groaned. "Ariel! She's not gonna remember our names! Dis girl has _serious_ head problems! Let's just swim back home and…" Sebastian started to swim away as he addressed the mermaid, but he was stopped by a bulky great white shark that loomed over him, grinning with razor sharp teeth.

"Hello," the shark said.

Sebastian had frozen in place and sunk down to the seabed where he fainted.


End file.
